The Bridges You Burn Light The Way (Christmas One-Shot)
by The Disposable Villain
Summary: Ryou had plans for Christmas. Unfortunately, those were interrupted when Yugi and Atem got together. Now he plans on sitting at home with a bottle of wine and some crappy horror films. He wasn't counting on his friends ruining his plans of self-pity with fairy lights and demands to see where he keeps his Christmas decorations. [Trans Ryou, Trans Yami Malik] [Conspireshipping]


**Hey, guys! For those of you who don't know me, I'm Elliot. Sorry that this is a touch late but Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it! Here's the Christmas one-shot for the year. I got two prompts for this - "I'm not leaving you alone on your favourite holiday" from a generic site and "conspire/rustshipping watching the Nightmare Before Christmas" from sitabethel, so I tried to merge them. Naturally, Ryou is trans because what's a Christmas one-shot without a little projection? Also this is unbetaed and I honestly wrote this in three days so sorry, rip. Hope y'all enjoy!**

 **The cover was done by the fantastic stressed_herp on Instagram! Please check him out!**

 **Also it's basically;**

 **Malik: Hey we should probably do some character development and shit around your breakup with Yugi-**

 **Ryou, eyes glassed over, staring at him and imagining fucking him in that skirt: Uh huh, sounds neat.**

* * *

 **CW:** Familial transphobia, NSFW, gender dysphoria

* * *

The café was almost too warm after the brisk chill outside where Ryou's breath fogged and lifted up in clouds. He used to pretend he was a dragon when it got cold enough for his breath to steam - one with dark scales and bright red eyes. He took a slow breath as the chime over the door tinkled, and he pulled off his scarf.

Inside, the lights were a warm orange, and the walls were soft cream. Posters littered the wall behind the counter including, Ryou's personal favourite, one reading **Say HEY If You're GAY**.

He grinned at the person behind the till and gave them a wave. "Hey." They just mimicked him, caught up with a customer. A line of pastries and cakes sat underneath a glass case, and the tables were surrounded by cushioned orange armchairs. Bakura, Malik, and Mehi all sat in a corner, food already ordered. Malik had apparently been convinced to switch to his long skirts for warmth, because the one he was wearing hung at his shins when he was sitting. Mehi and Bakura had actually been fucking sensible and worn jeans- no, that wasn't fair. It was a sensory issue, and Ryou knew it. He was just on edge, and _fuck_ Malik looked good in a skirt. They all looked good, all the time.

Ryou set his scarf and black winter coat down on the back of the chair, then pulled off his hat and shook his hair free. "Sorry I'm late." He dropped into the seat. "There's a lot of black ice and I didn't want to slip."

"You're fine." Bakura nudged a plate over to him. Two fat cream puffs sat on it, beside a mug of tea. Ryou reached for the sugar packets. "I've already put in three." Ryou picked up two more packets.

Malik cringed. "Honey, I'm not one to judge on indulgences, but that's just terrifying."

Ryou raised an eyebrow as he tore open a packet and spilled the sugar into the mug. "Bakura gets high, you drink whiskey, and Mehi-" He paused and glanced at Mehi. "Actually, Mehi's the only _good_ one."

Mehi grinned and raised her glass of sparkling water. Fuck, she really was good. "Of course I am." She pushed her purple hair back from her face, but it promptly fell back around her grey eyes in chunks. "Gotta keep to my diet so I can break it this Christmas."

Ryou smiled. "Have you got plans?" It wasn't as if he had expected them not to, but none of them really celebrated Christmas, so he hadn't expected _plan_ plans. Not two weeks beforehand.

Mehi glanced over at Bakura and Malik. Ryou's breath caught. "We're just planning on spreeing a bunch of films and eating junk food," Bakura admitted, adjusting his glasses. The gold wire framed glass was smudged in several places, and Ryou wanted to take them and clean them. "Nothing big."

"Right." Ryou nodded and stirred the second packet of sugar into his tea.

Malik watched him for a moment. "What about you and Yugi?" He asked. "Have you planned anything?"

Ryou cleared his throat and took a sip of his tea before he even tried to speak. "Yugi and I actually broke up," he admitted after a moment, "about a week ago." He set his cup down.

"Fuck." Mehi reached over and took his hand. "What happened?"

Ryou shook his head. "Nothing, really. We just realised we both wanted different things." Namely, Yugi wanted Atem, and Atem wanted to be in an exclusive relationship. "So, we talked about it and…" He shrugged and forced a pleasant smile. "We decided that it would be better if we weren't together." After six months of dating and one month of crying.

Bakura frowned. "Ryou-"

Ryou's phone rang. He winced and glanced at the screen. For fuck sake, he'd _told him_ that he'd be busy during the afternoon. Mehi glanced at the screen and scowled. "You don't need to get that," she told him.

Ryou just shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'll be back in a moment." He pushed his chair away from the table. It scraped on the wood and he winced, but he seemed to be the only one who did, so maybe it wasn't as loud as he'd thought.

He made his way over to the bathrooms and locked the single-stalled men's room before he answered. He'd already missed one call in that time.

"Hi, dad."

 _"Hello, Hoshiko_."

Ryou flinched and waited, but his dad never corrected himself. He cleared his throat. "Is there something that you wanted?" He asked. "I'm just out with friends at the moment."

 _"Actually, yes. Can you talk for a few minutes?"_

Ryou glanced over at the table. They were all watching him, but once they saw him looking, they began trying to make themselves look busy. Bakura had probably told them a bit about his father, aside from what they already knew. Fucker. "Sure." Ryou leaned up against the wall. "What do you want?"

" _First of all, I just wanted to let you know that there's no chance of me getting over to you for Christmas."_ There never was. _"A dig has come up - possible links to the Pharaoh I told you about_." Atem. His father would lose his shit if Ryou told him the nameless Pharaoh was alive and well, and he was pretty sure the dig would suddenly disappear. Of course, he still wouldn't spend Christmas with Ryou. No, it would be spent with Atem. Of course. _"You don't mind, right? Because I can fly you out_ -"

"No." Ryou closed his eyes. "No, that's fine." It suited him better. He wouldn't have to get deadnamed at every fucking turn. "I'll give you your present next time I see you." He hadn't even gotten one in three years. The last one he had gotten was still wrapped, in a box in his apartment. If necessary, he'd give him that. A book on transgender people in Japan and the rest of Asia. "What else?"

 _"I got your credit notice from the bank. It was addressed to Bakura Ryou_."

Ryou swallowed. Oh.

" _Well?"_

There was no point in trying to hide it anymore. "I changed my name a few months ago." Ryou opened his eyes and focused on the lights above him. No shades covered it, so within seconds, dots swam over his eyes. "Like I told you I was going to."

" _I didn't think that you were serious."_ His father sighed. _"Hoshiko, you know all that I want is for you to be happy-"_

"Great. Then this isn't an issue." Ryou crossed one arm over his chest, hooking his hand onto the elbow of the arm he used to hold his phone. The others were watching, but he wasn't bothered to make them stop again.

 _"How did you even manage to change it without-?"_

"I didn't." Ryou chewed his lip. "I've been going to a psychiatrist for a few months, and I was sterilised at the start of the year. My name and gender were changed a month later." And then he'd started on testosterone. His voice was beginning to deepen, finally.

 _"Hoshiko, how could you do something so_ reckless _?"_ He sounded angry now. Ryou sighed. _"I get that you thought this might be affecting you, but this is your future and your body. You're never going to be able to have children, or-_ " He choked. _"You need to stop this. It's not a game anymore."_

Ryou grit his teeth. "It was never a game," he muttered. "It's my body, and I have to decide what's right for it. Not you."

 _"This isn't just about you. You're my_ daughter _."_

"I'm your _son_. I have been for years." Ryou glared at nothing.

 _"We've talked about this-"_

"And now we're not anymore." Ryou took a slow deep breath. Don't yell. Don't yell. He was in a café and his friends were watching and he _needed that bastard's money_ , so don't fucking yell. "I need to go, so unless there's anything else-"

" _Don't be like that, Hoshiko_ -"

Ryou hung up. He kept the phone pressed to his ear for a moment so he could stand in silence and it wouldn't look like he just didn't want to sit down again. Finally, he pocketed the device and made his way back to the table. "Sorry about that." He sank into his chair with a smile. His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he ignored it in favour of picking up a cream puff. "What were we talking about?"

Malik hesitated, glancing at the others. "Christmas. Do you maybe want to join us-?"

"No, I'm fine." Ryou smiled. "I still need to finish decorating anyway. University has been a mess and my exams were later than usual so I didn't have as much time. You guys have fun."

"Are you sure?" Mehi was frowning. She hadn't touched the end of her water. "We'd like if you came."

Ryou would have liked that too, but he knew they all liked each other. It was obvious. Too obvious. "It's fine," he insisted. "And I think my cousin might be coming in from out of town anyway."

Bakura's eyes narrowed. His cousin was in England. Ryou took a sip of tea, meeting his gaze. Don't say shit. Don't.

"If you say so, honey," Malik conceded after a moment.

Ryou just nodded, despite the weight on his chest that had nothing to do with his binder. "I do."

For the rest of lunch, they avoided talking about Christmas entirely, and they pretended not to notice when Ryou tugged at his binder to make it easier for him to breathe. They all hugged him before they left, and Ryou didn't feel quite as bad on the walk home.

Once he was in his apartment, the silence smothered him. The dull walls, the lights not on, the flat, cold air, and frost on the window without any patterns or smiley faces drawn on it. He turned, and a frame on his letter stand caught his eye.

It had been there for months. He just hadn't focused on it. He picked it up and frowned at the photo. It was him and Yugi on one of their first dates at a theme park - in the haunted house, of course. Yugi was holding the camera, and Ryou was holding up a skeleton. Both of them were grinning; Yugi through a kiss he was planting on Ryou's cheek. Ryou sniffed and set the photo down, the back facing the ceiling.

* * *

When Ryou woke up to a knock on the door, his neck was aching. He glanced at the television. The menu for _Nightmare on Elm Street_ was on the screen. He must have fallen asleep during it. He shivered and sat up. Normally Yugi covered him with a blanket when that happened- right.

He winced and cracked his neck. It helped a little, at least. Shit, what woke him?

Another knock at the door drew his attention and he stood up. He wasn't expecting anyone. Fuck. His breath caught. Not his father. Not his father. Please _gods_ not his fucking father. He walked over to the door and glanced out through the peephole before unlocking it.

"You aren't meant to be here," he said as he pulled the door open.

Bakura grinned at him. "We're experts at doing things we're not meant to. Did you really expect much else?" His arms were looped around his partners' waists.

"Yes!" Ryou shook his head, but pulled the door open further. "At least from you, Mehi."

Mehi shrugged as Ryou allowed the three into his apartment. "I thought it'd be a nice surprise."

"What would be?" Ryou huffed. "You all showing up at my place at this ungodly hour-"

"Ryou, it's afternoon."

"Did I stutter?" Ryou raised his eyebrows and Bakura snorted.

Malik rolled his eyes. "Bakura had far too much influence on you while you had the ring."

"Bold of you to assume the shared laziness is my doing." Bakura unzipped his coat and flopped onto Ryou's couch without asking. Ryou couldn't really force himself to mind. " _Nightmare on Elm Street_ again?"

"It's a classic." Ryou and Mehi spoke at the same time. Mehi grinned, and Ryou's face heated up.

Malik just looked around the bare apartment. "What happened to decorating?"

Usually, Ryou's apartment was full of decorations for every holiday. If anyone's kids or cousins wanted to do something special for Easter, it was a trip to his apartment. They _avoided_ it on Halloween because it was too scary for children. And last year, there'd been fake snow all over the apartment.

Ryou dug his toe into the carpet. "I guess I was too tired." That was a fucking lie. He hadn't slept because of the higher dose of sertraline his doctor had prescribed. "I fell asleep in the middle of the film." After a marathon of three others.

"Well we're not having that." He toed off his shoes and walked into the kitchen. "There's literally nothing- okay, where are your decorations?"

"Malik, no, you don't need to-"

Bakura groaned. "Gods damn it, Ry, just let us help put up the damn tree." He dragged himself to his feet and turned off the television. "None of us have one anyway, so it'll be fine."

Ryou hesitated, glancing between them. Mehi offered him a smile. "I've never put one up before. It sounds kind of fun."

Ryou huffed and hid his face in his hands. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"Of course," Malik scoffed. "What do you take us for? Amateurs?"

After a moment, Ryou lowered his hands. "I guess it'd be nice to have the tree…"

"Exactly." Mehi nudged him. "And you know Malik loves aesthetic photos. He can take one at the tree."

"And I can ruin it." Bakura grinned.

Malik ignored his boyfriend and smiled at Ryou. "We can do a small photoshoot. It'll be the first Christmas since you went on t."

Ryou brought up a hand and rubbed his chin. It was only small, but he could feel the facial hair there. He didn't shave yesterday, and he kind of liked having a little bit. He sighed. "Okay, but I'm also making sweets. And dinner. You deserve it."

"Can I help?" Mehi was already pulling her hair back into a ponytail. She must have re-dyed it after lunch, because now it was bubblegum pink. With its length, her spikes slumped over her shoulders unless Malik helped her straighten it, and even then it was rare that she could cook with it loose without hair getting into the food.

"If you want to." Ryou managed a smile. "Sorry you had to do this-"

"We didn't have to do shit," Bakura snorted. "You're our friend, and we wanted to help you put up your tree instead of leaving you to mope."

Malik nodded in agreement, and stole the photo of Ryou and Yugi off the letter stand. "And get rid of these."

"Hey-" Ryou reached for it, and Malik didn't stop him from taking it back. "I don't want to get rid of these." He didn't want to be treated like a child.

"He was a fucking asshole," Bakura grumbled, folding his arms, "even before you started dating. He didn't fucking trust you-"

"It was mutual-"

"Bull _shit_." Bakura scowled. "You think I haven't talked to Mai?" Ryou looked away. "Yeah. She's stopped talking to Atem because of how shitty he was about the whole thing, and Yugi's on thin fucking ice."

"Tell her she can talk to both of them." Ryou turned towards the kitchen. "I don't need someone to protect me from breakups."

"She's not trying to protect you. She's pissed at how they treated you." Bakura took the photo from Ryou over his shoulder. "We all are."

"It's fine. Now give me the photo." Ryou took it back and walked into the kitchen without another word. This is exactly why he'd hoped they wouldn't mention Yugi at lunch. It was the Ring all over again.

He set the photo down facing the kitchen window and busied himself with taking out flour, sugar, bowls, baking powder-

A few minutes later, as he was taking out a recipe book, Mehi peeked in. "Can I help?"

Ryou glanced up and nodded. "Yeah…" He turned back to his recipe book.

Mehi wandered over to him and read the page over his shoulder. "Red velvet cake?" She smiled. "Doesn't sound Christmas-y. Isn't Christmas cake meant to be fruit cake?"

Ryou grimaced. "Yeah, but I hate fruit cake. And marzipan." He glanced up at her. "Plus we all like red velvet cake, and I have ingredients you and Malik can eat."

She chuckled. "You're too nice for your own good." She ran a finger down the page. "How about we make the batter and put it in the oven, and then help put up the tree? Bakura and Malik found the decorations in your closet, so they're dragging them out." Ryou raised an eyebrow. "Okay, Bakura's taking them out, and Malik's directing."

"I guess." Ryou pursed his lips.

"I promise no one's going to try and take your photos again," Mehi said. "It's not that we don't trust you, we just-" Her eyebrows furrowed. "We don't want you getting more hurt than necessary. And you look sad when you see those photos."

Ryou sighed and opened the soy milk. "I'm still an adult. I can deal with this."

"We know." Mehi smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "We just don't like seeing you upset."

Ryou chewed his lip. "I'll shower first, and then we can decorate," he decided. "I was wearing this shirt all night, and I want to have my binder."

"That's fine." Mehi kissed the top of his head, and even though she always did it, it made him blush. "I'm sorry if it felt like we didn't trust you."

Ryou shook his head and began pouring flour into the measuring cup. "It's okay. I'm just used to Otogi and Anzu and-" And Yugi. He frowned.

Mehi gave his arm a small squeeze. "Fuck them. You deserve people who treat you like a goddamn adult." She began measuring out the sugar. "And who like the same stuff as you."

Ryou glanced at her, but said nothing. She couldn't be inferring anything. She couldn't. "Thanks."

By the time they'd finished the cake batter and stuck it in the oven, all of Ryou's Christmas boxes were piled up on his couch and Malik and Bakura were working to assemble the tree in the corner by the window. As Mehi joined them, Ryou ducked into the bathroom to shower.

He did his best not to look down. He always found himself staring in the mirror for a few seconds first. His fat was still redistributing itself, and his face was a bit spotty, but with a good skincare routine, he was keeping it under control. But then there were his breasts and his long hair and- and even if he loved his hair, it made him look too feminine, and everything else was just _there_.

He closed his eyes and forced himself into the shower. Just another few months and he could start looking into top surgery. Maybe. He would have to look to Thailand. It was his only option, even with the low cost of life and- he shook his head. Not now.

When he stepped out, dried himself off, and dressed, the tree was up and the lights had been untangled. Malik smiled up at him as he walked over. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Ryou returned the smile. "Thanks." He took up a strand of lights and began wrapping them around the bottom of the tree with Bakura, while Mehi and Malik covered the top.

They worked in relative silence for a bit, aside from the music Bakura had turned on in the background. By the time they had finished the tinsel and moved onto the actual decorations, _Mr. Brightside_ was playing, and Ryou had almost forgotten about the shitty morning.

Malik looked over at him, running his thumb over one of the baubles. "Hey, honey?" Ryou hummed and looked up at him. "I was wondering… you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but- but we _literally_ know what happens after we die. Why do you celebrate Christmas?"

Bakura threw Malik a sharp look, but Ryou just smiled and tucked his hair behind his ears. "I used to be Christian. Sort of." He paused and tilted his head back, eyes fixed on the glittering star on top of the tree. "My family were. Non-practicing, anyway. And Christmas was always just… my mom's thing. Like how mine is Halloween. It's my favourite holiday because of her - even over Halloween. She loved it. She was so excessive- one year we had fucking _five trees_ in the house." He laughed and hooked the tiny bunny charm onto one of the branches. "She'd go all out. She'd buy tonnes of presents throughout the year - I think she started in January. And she wouldn't let Amane or I into the sitting room until she had set it up in the morning with sweets and balloons. And our stockings had our names and were always full." He wiped the corner of his eye and looked over at Malik. "I guess it's just my way of remembering her." He shrugged and picked up an orange frost-decorated rose from one of the boxes. "Plus it gives me the excuse to decorate even more and wrap presents and all that. You know I love that."

Arms wrapped around him as he tried to put the charm on the tree and he started. Three pairs. Bakura grumbled and nuzzled against his chest. "Dumbass, we were meant to be cheering you up. You could have just said it was because you like the presents."

Ryou laughed and did his best to return the hug. His left arm ended up around Malik's waist, while his right was around Mehi's neck and his right hand was on top of Bakura's head. "I don't mind. Really." He did his best to squeeze them. "It's nice talking about them. No one's asked me anything about them in years."

Malik sighed and kissed Ryou's shoulder. "Any time you want to talk about them, you can to any of us. Got it?"

Ryou nodded and touched his head to Malik's. "Thanks, Mal."

"No problem."

After a minute, Bakura was the first to pull away. "Come on, let's fucking finish decorating. We can crack open some of that wine in your cupboard and watch something if you want."

" _Nightmare on Elm Street?"_

"You just fucking watched that." Bakura scowled at him. "No. No, we're watching something _good_."

"Bitch, we just had a fucking gorgeous moment," Mehi huffed. "Don't make me fight you after that. You know I'll win."

"Gods, why do I put up with either of you?" Malik groaned and ran a hand through his hair. Tiny bits of tinsel stuck out of his fringe. "How about, I don't know, a Christmas film? Since we're _putting up a tree_?"

"That might be nice," Ryou admitted, chewing his thumbnail. He didn't really want to force Bakura to watch a horror, and he knew Malik wasn't the biggest fan of them either. "How about _Miracle on 34th Street_? It's straight as hell, but a classic."

Malik and Mehi both murmured their agreement. Bakura groaned. "Fine, but if you're making me watch a straight film, it'd better be a good one."

Ryou's smile returned and he put the decoration he was holding on the tree, standing on his toes to reach the right branch. "It is, trust me. Or at least, it is with alcohol."

"Fine."

* * *

Malik's birthday came around too soon. He hated it, and Ryou was surprised that he even wanted to be with _anyone_ other than Bakura and Mehi, least of all somewhere other than their house.

Ryou had put up fairylights all around the apartment. Fuck it. If he couldn't splurge on _electricity_ a little at Christmas for his friends, was it even Christmas? He had every single light in the house switched on, and the fairy lights on constant. When they arrived, Malik just hugged him a little tighter than normal. He didn't want to mention it, so they didn't.

They just curled up under blankets and switched on Netflix. Of course, Bakura and Malik had bargained down from a horror movie to another Christmas one - _The Princess Switch_. Ryou hadn't been seriously suggesting a horror film. He just did it to make it feel normal, like Malik's scars weren't probably burning every second he remembered that it was his birthday. He suspected Mehi was doing the same thing, though she had to be struggling too. She hadn't been brought back with the scars.

None of them paid much attention to the film. It was a feel-good classic, and they knew how it would end ten minutes in. At fifteen minutes, everything went dark.

Malik screamed, Bakura cursed, and Mehi fumbled for the torch on her phone. Ryou untangled himself and ran over to the door. Power outage. Fuck, it was half four, and even with the darkest day of the year gone, it was still _dark_. As in pitch black. He yanked open the door and yellow light spilled into the room.

Malik stumbled past him into the light and crashed into the wall. He leaned on it with his forearms, eyes wide and unseeing. His breath caught in his chest with each inhale.

Bakura and Mehi hurried out to him, but didn't touch him. "Malik?" Ryou kept his voice soft. "Malik, can you tell me where you are?"

"I-" Malik squeezed his eyes shut. Even with Mehi in her own body and without the influence of the Rod, Malik struggled with dissociating. A lot. "In- I'm in the hallway of your apartment block."

"Where is that?"

"Domino city, Japan. It's- I'm twenty four today." Malik opened his eyes again.

"Good. Keep going." Mehi put her hand over Malik's. "What did you have for breakfast?"

"Pancakes. Ryou made them," Malik mumbled, "after we showed up and then we ate popcorn and watched films." His eyes flickered to the door.

"And what are you wearing?" Bakura asked, desperate to keep him from going back to the darkness. They all were.

"Purple shirt, black skirt, black heels." He swallowed and stood up a bit. "And my earrings." He took a slow breath, in for five, out for seven. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Ryou asked.

Malik nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." His eyes flickered back to Ryou's apartment. "What happened?"

"I-" Ryou frowned. "I thought it was a power outage, but-" He looked up at the hallway light. If it was a power outage or surge, the entire building would be gone.

"Maybe there's something up with the fusebox?" Bakura suggested.

Malik shook his head before he had even finished the sentence. "It would have affected the whole building."

Ryou sighed and closed his eyes. "I- I'm going to ring the electrical company. Sometimes they mix up my bill with someone else's and turn off my electricity." He pulled out his phone. "I'm sorry about this."

"Hey, it's not your fault," Bakura said, but Ryou just stared at his phone as he scanned his contacts.

There it was. **Electricity Asshats**. He dialed the number, and within two rings, someone picked up.

 _"Hello, Domino Electric Power Company. How can I help you?"_

"Hi, my power was shut off again." Ryou pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think there was a mistake."

 _"Alright, sir, what's your name and I'll check it for you."_

"Bakura Ryou - Ryou with a _u_ at the end."

Whoever he was talking to paused for a moment. _"And you're living in the Sawamura complex, apartment forty two, correct?"_

"Yes, that's me."

 _"I'm afraid there hasn't been a mistake, Bakura-san. You haven't paid your electricity bill in over a month. It was due two weeeks ago._ "

Ryou frowned. "My father handles my bill - he has a link set up with his account that the bill comes out of every month."

 _"That was canceled just before your bill was due this month. We've sent several letters to the billpayer's address but-"_

"That's fine." A hard lump was forming in Ryou's throat. "Thank you." He hung up without waiting for a response.

When he began checking his contacts again, Bakura spoke. "What happened?"

Ryou just shook his head and dialed his father. It rang five times and went to his voicemail. Ryou ground his teeth and tried again. Pick up. Pick up. Pick the fuck up. Crayon-eating mother _fucker_ , pick the _fuck_ up!

 _"Hello?"_

Thank fuck. Ryou took a slow breath. "Hi, dad." He tried to sound pleasant.

 _"Hoshiko, is this important? I'm just about to go into a meeting."_

"Yes, actually it is." Ryou closed his eyes. "My power just went out. The company said you cancelled the payment? Did you switch cards and forget to tell them, or-?"

" _No. There wasn't a mistake there."_

Ryou had to remind himself to breathe, even though it wasn't quite something you could _forget_ to do. "What?"

 _"This is your life, Hoshiko, but I don't want to watch you ruin it. If you want to ruin your chances of a future with a good husband- or even wife! A good husband_ or _wife, that's not okay with me. As long as you keep up this charade, you can handle everything yourself. Like you said, it's your life."_

He couldn't breathe.

" _I don't want to watch you suffering_ -"

Bakura took the phone away from Ryou's ear. "Go fuck yourself, you shitsticking son of a cuntbubble," he snarled. "You're not fit to be called a father." He hung up as Ryou yanked his phone back. "Sorry, I-"

Ryou lunged and threw his arms around Bakura, hiding his face in the other man's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Bakura brought up a hand and rubbed circles into Ryou's back. "It's okay," he promised. "It's not your fault. He's a fucking asshole."

Malik wrapped an arm around Ryou's waist. He could feel the angry tension in Malik's arm, but the other did nothing but pepper kisses over Ryou's head.

"If you want, I could stab him," Mehi offered, following Malik's example.

Ryou snorted into Bakura's shoulder, lashes damp and dripping. "You don't even eat meat because you don't like hurting animals." He sniffed.

"Yeah, well I don't get why hurting animals is okay but hurting humans isn't." Mehi scowled. "Especially humans like that."

Ryou shook his head. "It's fine." He pulled away and took a shuddering breath. "I'm s- I'm- I'm sorry, I just- I just need-" He gripped his hair. "I just need to transfer the bill to my account, and the electricity should be back in an hour."

"We can do that later, honey" Malik offered. "It doesn't have to be now."

Ryou shook his head. It was Malik's birthday. He couldn't do that to him. "It won't take long."

"Or we could go somewhere else," Bakura suggested. "Even if you don't want to stay with us, you could go to Yu-" Mehi's elbow in his stomach cut him off. Ryou flinched. "Shit, Ry-"

"It's fine." He took a slow breath. "It's fine, really." His eyes were burning again. The worst part was that he _did_ want to go to Yugi's, and curl up with him and forget their breakup. Forget Atem. Forget everything except how he had gotten closer to the three over the two weeks.

"It's not." Bakura didn't hug him this time, but took his hand. "Look, I'm sorry. I just- I wasn't thinking-"

"You never do," Malik muttered.

"I know." Bakura frowned at the floor. "I didn't mean it."

"It's fine," Ryou repeated. "Really." He forced a polite smile. "I just need to ring the electricity company again, okay? I don't want to go anywhere." He dialled them before anyone could object.

This time, it took four rings for anyone to pick up. _"Hello, Domino Electric Power Company. How can I help you today?"_

"Hi, I was on to someone a few minutes ago. My name's Bakura Ryou in the Sawamura complex in Domino, room forty-two." Ryou leaned against the wall. "I'd like to change my billing address and account, and pay my outstanding bill today so I can get my power restored."

 _"Of course, Bakura-san. Could you give me your account details and I'll get right on that."_

Ryou had to go back through his photos to find the details on his phone, but it only took him a few minutes to smooth everything out. Once he was done, the woman on the phone told him that the power would be back shortly, thanked him for calling, and hung up.

Ryou dropped his hand to his side and closed his eyes. He was tired. So very fucking tired. And that was just electricity. From the sounds of it, he had to do that for everything. Fuck, he'd need to get a second job. He was lucky that his father had already paid for his final year of university and couldn't take it back.

Malik reached out and took his hand. "Honey-"

"No, I need to keep going." Ryou raised his phone again. "I need to ring-"

"You need to breathe," Mehi cut in. "You've just been dumped with way too much shit to function properly through this."

"I need to sort it out before anything else is cut."

"It can wait until tomorrow," Malik insisted. "Please. You need to sit and rest."

Ryou hesitated, and a flicker out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Light bloomed from his apartment.

Bakura grinned. "See? Sorted. Now come watch the end of the film with us."

"I'll make tea." Mehi strode back into the apartment as though Ryou had already agreed to rest.

He supposed he had, or at least, he didn't have all that much of a choice. He curled up on the couch between Bakura and Malik, covered up to his chin with a blanket. It didn't feel like his binder was working anymore. "I'm sorry about this." He rested his head on Malik's shoulder. "You shouldn't have to deal with that today."

Malik ran beautifully manicured nails through Ryou's hair, untangling any knots he came across. "No one should have to deal with that," he murmured. "Parents are such bullshit."

Ryou cracked a small grin. "Yeah. They are."

"Fuck family." Mehi returned with a tray of tea. Lemon for Malik, black for herself, loaded with soy milk for Bakura's lactose intolerant ass, and loaded with sugar for Ryou. "We're our own family now."

Ryou's heart thudded. He managed a smile, hoping his cheeks didn't look as hot as they felt. "Yeah. We are."

Malik gave him a squeeze. "How about we keep watching the film?" He suggested as Mehi sat beside Bakura.

Bakura lay down in her lap. "Sounds good. I mean, it looks like cishet bullshit, but I guess it's pretty good in comparison to some of them."

"Hey, it actually has characters of colour, so I'm happy." Ryou's grin grew a little and he relaxed into Malik's side again. "Thanks."

Malik glanced at him and offered a smile as he picked up the remote. "It's not a problem."

* * *

Problem. Big problem. Ryou was head over fucking heels in love with them. He'd known about it for a while in the back of his mind, but then he'd woken up near midnight on Christmas Eve, curled up between them. Malik was running his fingers through Ryou's hair, and _the Nightmare Before Christmas_ was still playing. He couldn't have been out for more than ten minutes.

"Sorry," he whispered, shifting. He pulled the blanket up closer to his neck. His heating had been shut off as well, and he couldn't seem to get through to the company.

Malik's hand paused. "Do you want me to stop?" He asked.

No. Gods no. After a minute, Ryou managed to shake his head. "I thought I was bothering you."

Malik chuckled and resumed his petting. "Not at all. You never bother me." His voice sounded sleepy and content.

"Thanks." Ryou rested his weight on Malik's shoulder again.

Bakura looked up at him from Mehi's lap and grinned. "You awake again?" Ryou hummed in response. "Good, it was getting boring without your commentary."

"Sorry." Ryou rubbed his eye and did his best to focus on the film again. "Where are we?"

"Santa's being sent down to the Boogey Man." Mehi leaned back into the couch cushions and grinned. "I love that he's made of bugs so much."

"Why?" Bakura's eyebrows furrowed. He was the only one who didn't speak a lot of English. He'd never paid much attention in Ryou's classes.

"Buggy sounds like Boogey in English," Ryou told him, smiling. "It was my favourite pun for _years_."

"That's fucking awful," Bakura snorted. He glanced at his bottle and then set it down on the table. "We're out."

"Want some more?" Ryou offered. "I can get you some-"

"Nope, you're not leaving." Malik's arm tightened around his waist. "I'm comfortable, your hair is soft, and I like surrounding myself with pretty things without them leaving."

Ryou twisted to look up at him. "Are you calling me pretty?"

"Of course I am." Malik smiled and twisted a strand of Ryou's hair around his index finger. Gold nail polish glittered under the white hair.

From anyone else, it might have triggered some amount of discomfort, but Ryou just felt his cheeks burn again. "Are you flirting with me?" He teased. No. Why did he say that?

Malik laughed. "Have been since we were eighteen, but thanks for noticing." Wait. Wait, what?

"Me too," Mehi admitted. "Well, not eighteen, but you know. Since I got back."

"No fucking way." Ryou groaned and hid his face in his hands. He was oblivious.

"If it makes it better, I've been flirting with you since you were sixteen." Bakura grinned, leaning his head back to look up at Ryou again. "Literally."

Ryou laughed behind his hands. "I'm an actual idiot."

"Nah, you're fine." Bakura reached up and pulled Ryou's hands away from his face. "Besides, you were caught up with Yugi, even before you started dating."

"Yeah, but I was also caught up with you. All of you." Ryou shook his head. He _actually_ could have been in a healthy fucking relationship for years if he had just paid attention.

"Really?" Malik's eyes lidded.

"Yes! Fuck, I feel so stupid-"

Mehi leaned over Bakura and pressed her lips to Ryou's. Ryou groaned and returned the kiss, but all too soon, Malik pulled Mehi away from him by her hair. "Fuck off, Malik-"

"I was going to kiss him!"

"I got there first." Mehi grinned.

Ryou laughed. His limbs were light, and his laughter continued, even as he pulled Malik, and then Bakura into a kiss. "I can't fucking believe you were flirting with me this whole time."

"Yeah, well-" Bakura grinned and pulled him down for another kiss. "Now that you do know, can we take it to your bed or-?"

"Damn it, Bakura, why are you like this?" Malik groaned.

"Fuck you, that's why."

Ryou hesitated. He hadn't slept with many people besides Yugi. But he was horny as all hell with the testosterone and the kissing, and there was lube and condoms in his room, and it wasn't like they were that one asshole from the late night with too many drinks at the club.

"If you don't want to, that's fine," Malik assured him, ignoring his partners. "We get that you just got out of a relationship and-"

Ryou kissed him again, harder. "I want you to fuck me so hard I forget about that. Got it?"

Malik blinked a few times. "Got it."

"Oh come on, I want to get fucked too," Bakura groaned.

"Stop being such a whiny bottom," Ryou grabbed his hand and pulled him up off the couch, "and come to bed. We are not doing this in front of Jack Skellington."

"What, like fucking in front of a skeleton isn't your kink?" Bakura scoffed, even though he allowed Ryou to drag him to the bedroom. Mehi and Malik followed, already shedding clothes.

"Not a kids' skeleton." Ryou pushed Bakura onto the bed and bit his neck. Bakura's eyes grew glassy and he moaned. Mehi helped tug Bakura's shirt over his head while Malik unbuckled Ryou's belt.

Ryou hesitated when it came to his shirt. "Can I leave my binder on?"

"Of course, habibi." Malik kissed his shoulder, right beside his tattoo of the wolf curled around a heart with the trans pride flag on it. Bakura had drawn it for him when Ryou came out at fifteen, and he'd gotten it done on his twentieth birthday.

He didn't have as much bottom dysphoria as top - at least not when he didn't have to _look_ at himself. Malik kneaded his lips down Ryou's spine and squeezed his ass as Mehi kissed along Bakura's chest.

Ryou groaned and rolled his hips back into Malik's crotch. He reached out and twisted Bakura's right nipple, and the thief arched off the bed with a shout. Mehi bit his left and he sank down again, moaning. "Motherfuckers!"

"You love it." Mehi ran her tongue over the nipple, and then kissed her way back up to his neck.

Ryou tugged at Bakura's hair as Malik wrapped an arm around his waist. "Anywhere we shouldn't touch?"

"Just chest," Ryou groaned. "What- fuck, what about you?"

Mehi took Ryou's hand and kissed the knuckle of his ring finger. "Touch anywhere you want."

"Same here." Bakura grinned up at him.

Malik just hummed in agreement and ran a hand down to Ryou's clit. He circled it a few times. "Where's the lube?"

Ryou whined and clung to Bakura's shoulder. "Top drawer-"

Mehi twisted to fetch them, and her eyes lit up as she opened the drawer. "Holy shit."

Bakura looked over and grinned. "I fucking knew you were kinky."

"Of course you fucking did - we shared a head," Ryou snapped. He wanted to get fucked, not talk about sex toys. "Please-"

Mehi passed the lube over to Malik. Malik brushed hair away from Ryou's neck and kissed along the skin there. "How about you prep Mehi and I prep you?" He suggested. "We can work out a system then."

"Fuck yes." Mehi grinned.

Ryou nodded in agreement. "Yeah, sounds good." He just wanted to touch all of them. "Bakura, scoot up."

Bakura pushed himself further up in the bed until his back was propped up against the pillows. Mehi then crawled over him, situated so her back was facing Ryou. Malik passed Ryou the lube, and as Ryou coated his fingers, a finger slipped into his own ass.

"Fuck." He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before mimicking Malik's actions with Mehi. A muffled groan escaped her, face buried in Bakura's neck.

Malik nipped the back of his neck as Bakura cursed and tried to rut up against Mehi. "You're so fucking gorgeous, you know that?"

"You need to stop talking about yourself in third person," Ryou shot back. "People might think it's weird."

"Fuck you, he was talking to me!" Bakura called, and then moaned again as Mehi twisted his nipple. "Damn it, someone fuck me already!"

Malik added a second finger and so did Ryou, spreading them apart. Mehi rolled her hips back, gripping Bakura's biceps. Ryou hooked his fingers up and she whined.

"I'm good," she gasped, pushing herself up on her forearms. "I'm ready."

"Mm, maybe one more finger." Ryou kissed the inside of her thigh as he added one more.

Mehi groaned, head dropping onto Bakura's chest. "Fucking bastard-"

Malik laughed and eased another finger into Ryou. "Oh I like this side of you." He ran his finger over Ryou's clit again. "Who do you want fucking you, Ryou?"

Ryou moaned, head falling back onto Malik's shoulder. "I- I- fuck, Malik-" He didn't care as long as he could touch them all.

"I'm fucking everyone here somehow!" Bakura insisted.

Malik pulled his fingers out of Ryou. "Mehi?"

"Fuck, I'll deal with this asshole first," she decided.

"Bold of you to assume I'll cum first." Bakura grinned and gripped her hips. Ryou pulled his fingers out and passed her a condom from Malik.

Mehi tore open the packaging and rolled it down over Bakura's cock. "You're already dripping," she pointed out.

Bakura hitched up into her hand. "So are you." He groaned as she dropped down onto his cock. "Fuck- ah, holy _fuck-"_

"Fuck yes." Mehi groaned and circled her hips a few times to get used to the feeling.

Ryou crawled up so he was lying beside Bakura and pulled Malik up with him. "Go."

"You're sure?" Malik asked. Just to be certain. Ryou appreciated the sentiment, but of course he was fucking sure. He nodded and Malik eased into him.

Malik was wickedly thick - as big as some of his toys - and Ryou clutched at Bakura's chest as he was filled. " _Ah_!" Bakura's hand was wrapped around Mehi's dick, stroking her as she rode him.

Bakura reached over and yanked his hair. Ryou bucked his hips, thrums of pleasure seeping through his entire body. He turned his head and pressed his lips to Bakura's. Bakura's teeth nipped at his lip, and Ryou slipped his tongue into his mouth.

Malik made a few practice thrusts and then began to set up a hard and fast rhythm that had Ryou's stomach looping far too quickly. Mehi was riding Bakura almost faster than Malik was fucking into Ryou. Her hand was behind her, fondling Bakura's balls at the same time.

Bakura whimpered into Ryou's mouth.

"Fuck!" Malik held himself up with both arms, pistoning into Ryou. Ryou moaned and began to rub his own clit. The looping sensation grew and grew, and crashed over him. He clenched around Malik, moaning incoherent words into Bakura's mouth.

"Ah- Bakura-" Mehi squeezed her eyes shut and shuddered to a halt. Her cum splashed over Bakura's chest and she slumped, sated.

Bakura whined when she didn't pick up the pace again and broke away from Ryou's lips. "Mehi, please," he groaned, too far gone to give a shit about begging. Not that he didn't take enjoyment out of the act either. "Fuck, I'm so close-"

Mehi climbed off him and grabbed a few tissues from the box by Ryou's bed. "Calm down, I'm not going to leave you." She rolled the condom up and discarded it, and then cleaned the lube off Bakura's cock with the tissue. Bakura hissed at the tissue wiping over the sensitive head of his dick.

Ryou's eyes lit up and he grabbed Malik's shoulder. "Pull out for a sec. I have an idea."

Malik looked almost pained at the thought, but he reluctantly obliged. Ryou repositioned himself so that he was kneeling at Bakura's side, across from Mehi.

She grinned and pulled him forward by his hair, kissing him as Malik eased back into him and started a faster rhythm. Ryou groaned and wrapped a hand around Bakura's cock, not wanting him to feel forgotten.

When they broke apart, Ryou leaned down and ran his tongue over Bakura's slit.

"Fuck!" Bakura bucked up towards his mouth.

Mehi grinned. "Ask nicely and we might." She kissed along the inside of Bakura's thigh and moved so she was between his legs. "Go on."

"Please!" Bakura whined. "Please, I'm so close- just- fuck, please make me cum!"

Ryou smiled. "I think that was pretty nice." He thumbed the head of Bakura's cock. "What about you?"

"I'll take it." Mehi's grin grew and she spread Bakura's ass. He pulled his legs up, planting his feet on the mattress to give her a better angle. Ryou held the base of Bakura's cock with one hand and took it in his mouth. At the same time, Mehi ran her tongue over Bakura's asshole.

Bakura screamed and bucked his hips up, grabbing Ryou's hair. "Fuck, Mehi! Holy fucking _shit_ , more! Ah, fuck, Ryou!"

Ryou was already getting close again, Malik's fast pace drawing him back to the edge he had just fallen over. This time, Malik's fingers circled his clit, occasionally sliding back to his hole to gather more cum to make the rubbing smoother.

Ryou whined and bucked his hips, rolling his tongue against Bakura's shaft. Bakura's hands tugged his hair harder, and Malik's nails dug into his hips as he came. Even after he pulled out, he replaced his fingers with his mouth on Ryou's clit.

Bakura screamed their names and came in Ryou's mouth, arching off the bed for a few seconds before collapsing again.

He dragged Ryou closer and bit his neck as Mehi shifted to join him. "Gods, I fucking love you," Bakura murmured.

Ryou moaned. "I love you too, fuck!" It was easy to say. To all of them. Even before - he loved them as friends. He shuddered.

"Come on." Mehi nipped Ryou's jaw. "Cum for us."

Ryou held his breath, legs shaking as he came for the second time. When he could finally breathe again, he slumped down beside Bakura and Mehi, and dragged Malik down with him. "Holy fuck."

Malik chuckled and kissed Ryou's shoulder. "No kidding." He wrapped his arms around Ryou's waist, spooning him. Mehi did the same for Bakura. Bakura huffed. "Can't believe I only got to fuck one and a half of you." Apparently a blowjob only counted as half.

Mehi scoffed. "Please. You were the one getting fucked."

Ryou hummed, eyes already slipping closed, almost tuning out the background banter. "I meant it," he mumbled. "I love you. All of you."

Malik's breath caught. "I know." He held Ryou closer. "I love you too."

"And me." Mehi reached over and held Ryou's hand.

Bakura just kissed Ryou's nose. "Me too." He smiled. "Now get some damn sleep. If that didn't wear you down enough to force you to get eight hours, I don't know what will."

* * *

When Ryou woke up, the apartment was warm, and he was the only one in the bed. He frowned and pulled on his binder, having remembered to take it off just before he fell asleep. When he walked out, the tree lights were on, and several presents that he hadn't wrapped were stacked under the tree.

A sweet smell wafted out to him from the kitchen, so he wandered in to find Mehi scooping a pancake out onto a warm plate, already almost invisible beneath the pile on it.

Malik looked up at him from the table and smiled. "Morning, honey." He slid a mug of tea towards Ryou.

Ryou picked it up and took a sip, returning the smile. Five spoons. "Morning." He sank down into the seat beside him. "What are you doing up?"

"We wanted to surprise you." Mehi set the plate of pancakes on the table. Plates and cutlery were already out, set for four.

Ryou frowned. "Where's Bakura?"

"Just in the shower." Malik drank a mouthful of his coffee. "He had to run back to our apartment to pick up a few things earlier and he didn't want to sit in sweaty clothes all day."

Ryou's frown deepened. "Does this have anything to do with the presents you have out under the tree?"

"Maybe." Malik smirked and pierced a pancake with his fork. He pulled the single blueberry pancake towards him and cut into it.

Ryou and Mehi, on the other hand, took three each. Mehi's cheat day had arrived.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened and Bakura dropped into the seat beside Mehi, hair damp and wearing nothing but a _Game of Thrones_ Christmas sweater and a pair of Ryou's boxers. "Morning." He grinned. "Like it?" His head tilted toward the tree.

Ryou returned the grin and swallowed his mouthful of food. "I love it. But you didn't need to get me anything-"

"Don't start that." Malik took his hand and squeezed it. "It's your favourite holiday. Of course we got something for you."

Ryou shook his head. "By the way, why is the apartment warm? I haven't called-" He paused. "No."

"We sorted it out." Mehi took a bite of her fourth pancake. "Or Bakura did. He sounds more like you."

Malik nodded. "We didn't pay for it. We knew you wouldn't want that, so we just rang up every billing company you have and switched the bills from your father's account to yours."

"We also may have negotiated better rates." Bakura winked. "Just maybe."

Ryou swallowed. "Thank you," he mumbled. He had been dreading ringing, and though he didn't like the idea of inconveniencing the three, he appreciated it.

"Mm. But you have to do one thing in return." Malik lifted up a finger. "Shave. Please. Just back to your normal beard at least."

Ryou pursed his lips and stroked the edges of his cheek. It was almost two centimetres long at that point. He'd always wanted to be capable of growing a beard.

"I can help." Bakura shrugged. "I'm good at shaving. You don't have to get rid of it."

Ryou smiled. "Okay. Then I'm fine with that." He kissed Malik's cheek and then paused. "Um-"

"No, don't go into your awkward phase." Mehi reached across the table. "If you want to date, we're dating. Agreed?"

Ryou couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face. "Okay. So we're dating. You're all okay with that?" They all fixed him with a 'fucking _duh_ ' look. "Okay, sorry. Just making sure." His smile only grew and he stuffed the end of his pancakes into his mouth.

After breakfast, he helped Malik clean up, and Mehi and Bakura disappeared. By the time they went into the living room, the coffee table and couch had been moved to face the tree. The table was covered with a light blue paper table cloth, and sweets and buns and biscuits were piled onto winter-scened paper plates with matching napkins. The curtains had been pulled and mistletoe hung over the couch, taped to the ceiling.

Ryou's eyes burned and he tried to ignore it. "Gods, you didn't have to do all of this."

"It's one of your favourite holidays." Bakura shrugged. "If we weren't going to let you be alone on it, what makes you think we'd let you half-ass it?"

Ryou rubbed at the corner of his eye. "I love you. I really do."

"We love you too." Malik kissed his temple. "Now come on - I worked hard on some of those presents, and you did too. Let's ruin all of our work and open them, yeah?"

Ryou grinned and nodded. "Yeah." He followed Malik over to the couch and located their presents. He had actually gotten them a few, and they had gotten each other and Ryou gifts as well.

By the end of it, Malik pulled them all onto the couch in a sea of wrapping paper, held up his new Polaroid camera and snapped a few photos. One of them making dumb faces, several of them kissing one another, and one of them just smiling, eyes bright and cheeks dark.

None of them really wanted to clean up and ruin the specific atmosphere, so they curled up and turned on _the Nightmare Before Christmas_ again, and continued to either cuddle (in Bakura's case with his two stuffed toys) or examine or use their presents.

After that, they watched another film, and another, and then Mehi and Ryou made dinner (if throwing a pizza in the oven and making pot noodles counted as cooking) and they ate it with another Christmas movie under a pile of blankets.

By the end of the night, Ryou was curled into Mehi with Bakura lying across all of their laps. "Thank you for this," he murmured. "I know you wanted to do it, but still." He squeezed Mehi's arm and Bakura's waist, and leaned over to kiss Malik's cheek. "This is the best Christmas I've had in years. Thank you."

They just smiled and moved closer to him. "Merry Christmas, Ryou."

* * *

 **Oof hope you guys liked it! Please review and check out a few of my other stories if you enjoyed this!**


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